We put the ‘FUN’ in dysfunctional. – family motto, established circa 1980

Long before there was talk of dysfunctional families, we were hanging in limbo without a label. As the years flew by, and many things are thrown at us, there is one thing has always been there – our sense of humor.

For our 35th wedding anniversary, my husband and I went to see comedian Kathleen Madigan and Mike Toomey (her warm up). The recurring theme in their routines was family. Listening to their comedy, I felt their families could easily hang with ours.

It’s how we roll, as they say.

When we are gathered together, there is food, liquor and laughter. The laughter begins even before we sip and eat. Everyone one of us in our growing family is a storyteller, a clown and the perfect audience.

A few years ago, when a beloved uncle passed away, our cousins from North Carolina and Colorado came to share in the grief. What soon happened once the services were completed was the unknotting of the ties, kicking off the shoes, and the consumption of food. Much like a table overburdened with a feast, our memories were laid bare to be retold.

In a somewhat sober man’s version of an Irish wake, we recounted a family vacation to Myrtle Beach. From there, we cousins laughed at one cousin’s retelling of the time another cousin (from NC) got him to kick sand at a crab in order to catch it – a consummate BS artist, that southern cousin could always crack us up. So does the cousin telling that story.

Every couple of years, the local cousins (aunt and uncles, too) get together for some landmark – a graduation, birthday, or a wedding. Our funny bones are tickled, heightened by the overload of characters that make up our family.

My three brothers had an uncanny ability to become a comedy troop when they are together. Although I happen to think we sisters, four in all, are funnier and more poignant in our humor. I submit for consideration the sisters weekend in Williamsburg, when we called each other by the wrong name (on purpose) and wore matching t-shirts that claimed “My sister has the best sister in the world!”

Or the time one sister and I drove to Louisville to see my son. We were hosting a Stanley Cup viewing game and needed to get food and alcoholic beverages. I dropped my sister off at the liquor store while I went to the local Kroger’s. When I picked up my sister, she wasn’t hard to spot outside the store. That was because she was the only one standing outside with the store with a cart over filled with enough booze for a small third world country. Shrugging, she simply said,  “Well, the boys might be thirsty.”

But our cousins and even my brothers don’t stand a chance against my sister-in-law’s brothers. When they come to a family gathering, My stomach and cheeks are sore from laughing so much.

Humor is written so densely into our family’s DNA. It runs rampant throughout our time together. Our childhood memories are full of fun times. The picnics, the Sundays at Grandma’s, and Grandpa’s corny jokes, his face lit with happiness in being with his family and the glint in his eyes when we performed Christmas songs at his request.

If I told you all the great experiences we had would take hours. What I can tell you is that laughter really gives you thoughtfulness. It opens the heart and the mind. It keeps young and when you carry that humor with you every day, people will be more drawn to you because you are offering them something they might be missing. Those who do have a sense of humor may gravitate to you because you are alike.

I know I wouldn’t trade any family member for anything in the world.

Family laughter is priceless.